French Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer has said that he regrets "the symbolism" of his holiday in Ibiza, saying that he "should probably have chosen" another place. According to recent reports in French media, the minister was on holiday on the Spanish island when he announced controversial health protocols for schools. Speaking at the National Assembly this afternoon he said that the decisions he took would not have been different had he been elsewhere. The opposition have demanded his resignation.
The first deliveries of the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine should arrive in France during the week of 21 February, according to the Ministry of Health. It said that the initial delivery should be of 1.1 to 1.2 million doses, followed by 800,000 doses per week in March. The French High Authority of Health approved the vaccine last week. It's the fifth Covid-19 vaccine which the Authority has authorised, the others being the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines.
The number of patients in critical care in France yesterday was virtually the same as the figure a week previously. 3,913 people were in critical care in French hospitals yesterday, compared to 3,904 the previous Monday.
Covid-19 positivity rates in Monaco have remained at broadly the same level for two weeks in a row. In figures released yeaterday evening the Monaco government said that the incidence rate per 100,000 people was 1,953 over the last seven days. Over the previous seven days it was only slightly higher at 1,966. The government also said that 10,616 PCR and antigen tests had been carried o
